Pipe hanger



May 20, 1958 s. s. KOLODlN PIPE HANGER Filed Dec. 15, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I.

FIG. 6. I l4 INVENTOR 26 SAMUEL 5.. KOLODIN. mfiuw FIG. 3.

I FIG. 4.

ATTORNEY May 20, 1958.

Filed Dec. 15, .1954

s. s. KOLODIN PIPE HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR SAMUEL S. KOLODIN.

ATTORNEY Unit tates This invention relates to pipe hangers.

Conventional pipe hangers consist of an inverted U- shaped upper bar orbridge, a U-shaped strap and a bolt interconnecting the legs, of theupper bar or bridge with the arms of the strap. This construction isrelatively expensive since i'he cost of the bolt is out of proportion tothe total cost of the other two components. Pipe hangers are used invery large quantities, especially in large apartment houses, factoriesand ofiice buildings, and a saving of the few pennies that each boltcosts mounts up to a very substantial sum. Furthermore, bolttype pipehangers are somewhat awkward to handle and time consuming to install.Moreover, they lack sulficient strength to withstand the unusualstresses which are occasionally encountered.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a pipe hangerwhich consists of only two interlocking parts capable of lockingtogether without the use of bolts or any equivalent fastening means.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, there is a cross bridgewhich is attached in conventional manner to the vertical bolt whichhangs from the ceiling or other structural support. In addition to thecross bridge, there is a U-shaped strap which is adapted to interlockwith the bridge and to depend or hang therefrom. The interlocking partsare based upon the principle of the common hook in an uncommonconstruction and application. The bridge is provided with a pair ofnotches formed in its upper edge adjacent its two ends. These notches,in effect, convert the bridge into a double ended hook or, stateddifferently, a double ended member with a hook formation at each end.The strap is provided with a pair of slots formed in registration witheach other adjacent the upper ends of its two arms. These slots areadapted to receive the hook-shaped ends of the bridge and to enable thestrap to hang from the notched portions of the bridge. Stateddifferently, the slotted arms of the strap are adapted to hook onto thenotched ends of the bridge to support the strap from said bridge.

An important feature of this embodiment of the invention is the verticalposition which the bridge occupies. In conventional pipe hangers, thebridge lies in the fiat, that is, its wide dimension in the area of itsengagement with the vertical ceiling bolt occupies a horizontal plane.In the present invention, the wide dimension of the bridge occupies avertical plane throughout the entire length of the bridge. Consequently,the pipe hanger which is made in accordance with the present inventionpossesses great structural strength, exceeding by far the structuralstrength of conventional pipe hangers of like or correspondingproportions. This is true not only of the bridge element but it isequally true of the strap element. In conventional pipe hangers, theconnecting bolt which in tei'connects the bridge and strap is disposedhorizontally and a shearing force is applied thereto between the legs ofthe bridge and the arms of the strap. In normal use, the bolt issufficiently strong to withstand such shearing force. There areoccasions, however, when the shearing force becomes abnormal and thebolt fails.

In the present invention, the strap hangs directly from the bridge andno shearing force is to be encountered which corresponds to the shearingforce in the bolt-type pipe hangers. The strength of the pipe hangerwill be determined solely by the strength of the materials used and inthe case of the strap it would be tensile strength which would control.

An important feature of the present invention is the ease with whichpipe hangers made in accordance therewith may be installed. The bridgeis secured to the vertical bolt which projects downwardly from theceiling, in conventional manner, and the. pipe is now ready to be hung.It is elevated to a position slightly below the bridge, also inconventional manner. The strap is then caused to straddle the pipe andits slotted ends are caused to engage the hook-shaped ends of the bridgeand the pipe is then permitted to drop down upon the strap. Once thebridge is secured to the vertical bolt, there is only a single elementto handle and attach, namely, the strap. In conventional pipe hangers,there are three elements to handle after the bridge is attached to thevertical bolt, namely, the strap, the horizontal connecting bolt, andthe nut therefor. Consequently, it is necessary to elevate the strapuntil its bolt holes register with the bolt holes of the bridge and itis then necessary to insert the bolt therethrough and to thread the nutthereon.

In a second embodiment of this invention, the bridge is supported inconventional manner from the vertical bolt, that is, the bridge is madeto lie in the fiat with its wide dimension in a horizontal plane in thearea of its engagement with the vertical bolt. The bridge is providedadjacent its two ends with upwardly projecting lugs or hook members. Thestrap is slotted adjacent the upper ends of its arms to engage said hookmembers or lugs. Consequently, the same relationship exists as in thecase of the first embodiment of the invention, that is, the strap ismade to hang directly from hook formations on the bridge. There is nobolt which interconnects these two members.

An important feature of this second form of the invention is the inwardbend with which the slotted ends of the strap are provided. This inwardbend enables the slotted ends of the strap to overhang the hookformations on the bridge although the arms of said strap, below thebend, are spaced apart from each other a greater distance than thelength or horizontal dimension of the bridge. This renders it possibleto mount the slotted ends of the strap upon the bridge by simply movingthe strap laterally or horizontally relative to the bridge with its saidslotted ends elevated above the bridge and then to drop said strap whenthe slotted ends register with the hook formations on the bridge untilsaid slotted ends of said pipe hanger is made.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of said blank. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectiontaken on the line 5--S of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a pipe hanger made in accordance. with asceondformof thisinvention, showing, in section, a pipe supported thereby.

Fig. 8 is another side view thereof, being also a fragmentary'side viewof said pipe.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the two components; of: said:pipe hanger.

Fig. ltl'isamodification of the upper portion of the U.-shaped member ofFigs. 7, 8 and 9.

ll'is azmodificationtof the shoulder connection of the Figs. 7, 8 andt9.

Referring now to the first form of this invention and to the first sixfigures of the drawing, it will be seen that pipe hanger ltlconsistsof;two component'parts, namely, a

bridge: 12-.and a strap 14; This pipe hanger is supported from theceilingzor'other structural member by a vertical threaded rod or bolt16. The'lowenend ofsaid vertical rod or bolt is'provided' withscrewxthreads 18 and'with'a pair of nuts Ztl'and 22:.threaded thereon;.It is these nutswhich secure the. pipe. hanger to: theverticalrodor boltandxwhich areadapted to: adjust :the position of said pipe hanger'relative toisaid rod: or bolt.

Strap 14 is a. U-shapedmember'having a pairoffsubstantiallyparallel'arms 14a and-14b. and:an-arcuate bight or yoke 14c joiningzsaidarmsat their'lower ends. It is this bight or'yoke on which-pipe Z4rests. To provide measure of stiffness or'rigidity and to insure properspacing of. thetwo arms of therstrap; a-longitudinally extendingbead 26is formed alongsaid yoke Mcandapproximately one third ofthe distance upalongarms Ma'and 14b. Fig. 6is a sectional view through thestrap showingthe formation of said head;

Formed'at the upper end of each arm 14a, 14b is a slot 28 which extendslongitudinally thereof. This slot is longenough to receive-bridgelZandwide enough also. to receive said bridge and also to permit of somerelative lateral movement and angular movement to maneuver the strap;

purely illustrative and they will vary in accordance with individualengineering requirements and the weight and dimensions of the. pipes tobe supported by said' pipe hangers.

Further byway of illustration, strap 14 may be made ofione eighth inchthick steel, approximately one inch wide. Since. slots 23 areapproximately three eighths of an inch wide, the webs on both sides ofeach slot will each be approximately five sixteenths of an inch wide.The distance between arms 14a and 1411 will depend upon the diameter ofpipe 24 and upon whether it is desired to provide a snug fit or not. Itmay be found necessary to provide a free. space between the said armsand the said pipe so as to enable the person installing the pipe hangerto turn the strap about the vertical axis of rod 16 in order to bringthe slots 28 into alignment with the bridge 12. It may be foundnecessary to turn the strap in this manner in order to mount one of itsarms upon one'end of the bridge and then to mount its other arm upon'theother end of the bridge. Another possibility is to turn the bridge aboutthe vertical axis of rod 16 in-order to bring it within the confines ofthe two arms Mei-and Mb.

Bridge .12 is made from blank 30; This blank is substantiallyrectangular in shape and punched into'it are two holes 32 and 34respectively and a slot 36. These holes may be hexagonal in shape andslot 36 may simply be a slit. In any case, blank 30 is bent centrallythereof to form an arcuately recessed portion 38. A folding line 40 isalso provided in said blank, centrally thereof, and normal to therecessed portion 38. Holes 32 and 34 and slot or slit 36'are formed inalignment with each other along folding line 40.

Blank'30 is folded or doubled upon itself upon folding line- 40to-formbridge- 12-as i shown in Figs. 7 1, 2 and -5. It will be notedthat holes 32 and 34 form notches 32a and 34a in bridge 12. It will alsobe noted that recessed portion 38, actually two portions 33 on oppositesides of slot or slit 36, forms a pair of arcuate yokes 38a and 38bwhich comprise a collar encircling vertical rod or bolt 16. Folding line40 becomes a=bight or shoulder 40a as shown in Fig. 2. The two halves ofblank 30, on opposite sides of folding line 40 now become a pair ofvertical sides 30a andlitlb respectively which are parallel to eachother andwhich may be, if desired, in abutment with-eachother. Also, ifdesired, these two sides may be attached to each other by. welding,riveting or otherwise. Similarly, bridge 12 may be inverted on verticalrod or bolt 16 so that its bight 40a is disposed along its lower edgeand the two free edges of sides 3% and 30b are disposed along its upperedge. In such case, of course, notches 32a and 34:; would be formed inthe free edges of-said sides'30a and 3012 instead of in bight 40a.

By way of illustration, blank 30 may be made of one eighth inch thicksheet steel. It may be about two inches wide andsomewhat over two and ahalf inches long after recess 38'is formed therein. Consequently, whensaid blank is folded'over to'form bridge 12, said bridge will beapproximately an inch wide or high and approximately two and'a halfinches long. Vertical bolt or rod 16 is generally half an. inch indiameter and consequently bridge 12 will have a web of approximately oneinch long on each side of arcuate portions 38a and 381;. Since blank30.is made of one eighth inch thick material, the bridge itself willbe'approximately a quarter of an inch thick and since the bridge isdisposed in a vertical plane its strength will be'extremely great.

Referring now to the second form of this invention and to Figs. 7, 8 and9 of the drawing, it will be seen that pipe hanger consists oftwo'parts, a bridge 112 and a strap 114. The bridge is a flat bar'bentto form a yoke 112a, a pair of downwardly sloping shoulders 11211 and apair of legs 1120. The yoke is a horizontal member and the shoulders areinclined approximately 45 degrees relative thereto. Legs .112c projectvertically downwardly from the lower ends of the shoulders.

A hole 116 is punched into yoke 112a to receive'vertical rod or bolt 16from which the entire unit depends. Nuts 20 and 22on opposite sides ofthe yoke adjustably secure the yoke, and hence the entire bridge, tosaid vertical rod or bolt 16. It will also be observed that tapered lugs124' aretstruck out from shoulders 112b and that they project verticallyupwardly in parallel relation to each other.

Strap 114 is also a fiahbar, but not necessarily as thick or heavy asthe v material of which the bridge is made; It is bent to form a pair ofinclined shoulders 114a which are disposed at an angle of approximately45 degrees to the vertical. Below-the shoulders 114a is a pair ofvertical portions 114!) and joining the lower ends of said verticalportions is a generally U-shaped portion 114c.

The arms of said U-shaped portion are not necessarily perfectly verticaland parallel to each other. Indeed, in the preferred construction, theyconverge in downward direction to form a relatively snug receptacle orsupport for pipe 24 as shown inFig. 7. It will be observed in Fig. 9that rectangular openings 128 are formed in shoulders 114a and theseopenings are of a size to receive lugs 124 above mentioned. There may bea slight taper in the walls defining said openings 128 to complement thetaper of the lugs in order to provide a snug, frictional fit. The obiectis to prevent accidental disengagement of said strap from saidvlugs whenthe weight of the pipe is removed from the strap.

In use, the bridge 112 is secured to bolt 118'by means of nuts 20 and 22and'the pipe is hoisted (by conventional means not shown in the drawing)to a position below the bridge but above its final position illustratedin Fig. 7. The strap 114 is then brought into engagement with saidbridge by booking the shoulders of saidstrap upon lugs 124 and bringingsaid shoulders into abutment with the shoulders of the bridge. Once thisis done, the pipe is dropped into the U-shaped portion of the strap asappears in Fig. 7. It will be understood that all this is possiblebecause the distance between the ends of shoulders 114a of the strapexceeds the diameter of the pipe and because said shoulders are adaptedto overhang and overlap the shoulders of the bridge.

Reference to Figs. and 11 will disclose a modified construction basedprimarily upon the construction of Figs. 7, 8 and 9. Bridge 112 shown inFig. 11 is precisely the same bridge which is shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9,and it will be noted that it is provided with upwardly projecting lugs124. Strap 1140' shown in Figs. 10 and 11 is basically like the strapshown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, except that its inwardly bent shoulders 114a,which converge in upward direction from sides 11412, are provided withupwardly extending lugs 132 adjacent openings 128 in said shoulders.When the strap is mounted on the bridge, lugs 132 will abut lugs 124 toreinforce lugs 124, as Fig. 11 clearly shows.

The foregoing is illustrative of preferred forms of this invention andit will be understood that modifications may be incorporated thereinWithin the broad spirit of the invention and the broad scope of theclaims.

I claim:

1. A pipe hanger which is adapted to be supported by a vertical rod orthe like projecting downwardly from a ceiling or other structuralsupport, said pipe hanger comprising a bridge adapted to be supported bysaid vertical rod and a strap supported by said bridge, said bridgehaving a fiat horizontal yoke portion with a hole formed centrallythereof to receive said vertical rod and being provided with a pair ofdownwardly bent shoulders at the ends of said yoke diverging downwardlytherefrom, said strap comprising a generally U-shaped member whose upperends are bent inwardly converging in upward direction to conform to thebend of the shoulders of said bridge so as to be supported thereon, said6 shoulders being provided with upwardly projecting lugs and saidinwardly bent upper ends of the strap being provided with openings toreceive said lugs in order to lock the strap to said bridge.

2. A pipe hanger in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lugs are struckout of said shoulders and project generally vertically upwardlytherefrom, vertically extending lugs being also formed on the inwardlybent upper ends of the strap adjacent the openings therein, and adaptedto abut the lugs on the shoulders.

3. A pipe hanger in accordance with claim 1, wherein the yoke occupies agenerally horizontal plane and the shoulders are inclined approximatelydegrees relative thereto, the inwardly bent upper ends of the strapbeing also. inclined approximately 45 degrees relative to the horizontalso that :they may rest fiat against said shoulders.

4. A pipe hanger in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bridge isprovided with a pair of downwardly extending legs at the ends of itssaid shoulders, the strap being provided with portions immediately belowits inwardly bent upper ends which abut said downwardly extending legsof the bridge and are supported thereby against inward distortion.

5. A pipe hanger in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lugs on thebridge are spaced a greater distance apart than the diameter of a pipeadapted to be carried by the strap and the upper inwardly bent ends ofsaid strap are spaced apart a greater distance than the diameter. ofsaid pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS351,640 Knapp Oct. 26, 1886 411,518 Collis Sept. 24, 1889 1,450,640Norman Apr. 3, 1923 1,579,419 Tomkinson Apr. 6, 1926 1,698,571 Van CleveJan. 8, 1929 2,721,050 Sams Oct. 18, 1955

